Petar Dundov discusses his new two-track EP on Music Man Records

Coming out of the Croatian capital of Zagreb, techno artist Petar Dundov has made his mark through strong production quality and a hungry touring schedule. He’s remixed tracks from Gregor Tresher and Alan Fitzpatrick, had his music played by genre heavyweights like Dubfire and Ben Klock and even released with Sasha’s Last Night On Earth.

His latest productions come in the form of Dalmatina and Once We Were Here, dropping via Belgium’s Music Man Records, a label where Dundov has made multiple appearances throughout the years. We spoke to the Croatian to find out what inspired the record, his appreciation for Music Man and what he has in store for the near future.

Hello Petar! How are things going at the moment?

Things are going well. I am back in my studio and feel inspired to work on new music. Festival season is starting, we booked some nice shows this summer so I am looking forward to travel​ing​​ and playing ​again.

You just released Dalmatina / Once We Were Here on Belgian label Music Man ​Records, talk us through the process of producing, signing and releasing the record?

I wrote Dalmatina as a sum up of my experiences ​on tour​ last summer. I traveled a lot along​ the​ Mediterranean coast and ​had​ the idea ​of​ making​ a composition that could express a bit of​​ summer vibe from ​the ​Dalmatian​ Islands​. When I returned to Zagreb in my studio I recorded a live session with all the key elements. Once I got all the ingredients​ down,​​ the​mixing process was straight forward. When all was done I sent the track to my good friend Stefaan from Music Man and he loved the track so we decided to make a release.

It’s definitely not your first time with the label, how has your personal relationship to Music Man developed over the years?

​I’ve​ work​ed​ with Music Man for many years and​ they’ve​​ helped me to develop as an artist.​ They’ve ​always believed in my sound and ​have given​ me ​​much needed freedom to work on new things. As a consequence we were able to release many wonderful albums and hit singles, so we knew that this was a ​correct ​decision.

And when it comes to stuff like social media posts and artwork, how involved do you like to be?

I like to be involved in things like artwork. I see it as visual representation of music. We have been working closely with many visual artists specially on album designs. I always have a particular story to tell with my music and it is very important to find a right person with who you can communicate the message so it can be integrated in final design. Regarding social media, as I am a private person I try not to be involved intensively. I like to communicate to my fans what is going on with new releases, interviews or shows, but I am not too keen on posting my private life on social media.

And on that topic, how important is social media for DJs in your opinion?

Social media is very important for everyone who wants to connect with other people, share ideas ​and​ collaborate. It​’s​become such a crucial tool for D​J​s ​and​a rtists to present what they are about and easily connect with other artists, labels and their fans. I think the best way is to honestly participate in the global communication, express what you think is relevant for you and try not to get drawn too much in to social media marketing.

MOOD and Last Night On Earth have also released your work, is there a label you’ve had in mind for a while when it comes to a future release?

When I write music I don’t think about​ a​ particular label. It can be distracting since most of the labels are usually following a distinct sound. ​The creation process should be completely free, that’s when things really happen. It is all about pushing boundaries.

Can you tell us about any of your plans for the near future in terms of gigs, releases or anything else?

I will be playing a lot of festivals in Croatia this summer like Dimensions, Adriatic Perception, Forestland etc. Also I will have ​a ​residency in club Judino Drvo in Split every Wednesday and will be visiting Ibiza for Circoloco at DC10 early September. ​I’ve completed a​​​​​ couple of remixes that will be out soon. I​’ve also​ started working on a new album, if all goes ​to​ plan we could have a​ release in early 2019.

Thanks for taking some time to talk to us, let’s close things out with one artist you think is completely killing it right now?

I really like what MUUI ​is ​doing right now.​ I’m​ ​p​laying lots of his stuff in my sets.​ he’s a​ ​very talented artist.

Petar Dundov’s Dalmatina / Once We Were Here is out now on Music Man Records.